Covid-19 had already reached India by the start of the 2020-2021 fiscal year, with the country soon going into a nationwide lockdown. Consumption dipped, supply chains broke down, and the economy slowed. Despite this, India's agrifood startup sector experienced an investment boom, with a 100% year-on-year jump in total venture funding.

Seed investments into agrifood startups grew threefold as entrepreneurs and investors alike rushed to solve problems in the food system that had been underscored by the pandemic.

Of particular note was the jump in investment for technologies focused on the farm, which raised over $500 million as upstream deals surpassed those downstream in number for the first time.